


And We’ll Rewrite these Broken Songs

by Kaylathebookworm



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Oscar has PTSD, Spoilers for Volume 8, Time Travel Fix-It, dadpin, lots of trauma, there will be so much chaos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaylathebookworm/pseuds/Kaylathebookworm
Summary: They say you can’t change the past, but the future isn’t always what you think…Starting at the end of V8 episode 9, Oscar finds himself thrown back in time, to before the Fall of Beacon. Armed with knowledge of the future, can our heroes stop the end from coming?Rewrite of Broken Body and Souls
Relationships: Ozpin & Oscar Pine
Comments: 45
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you may be here from my last attempt at writing a time travel fic!  
> What's changed:  
> -starts at V8 chapter 9 instead of the middle of V7  
> -better writing  
> -no torture
> 
> I really hope that you all like this, and I'm very excited to share it!

The magic glowed, bulbs of green and gold floating like fireflies around Oscar. In front of him, Hazel held Salem back, flames emitting from his body, burning them both.

“Do it,” Hazel choked out, the arms of Salem’s Grimm creations strangling him, her screams of pain and rage nearly eclipsing the command.

Oscar narrowed his eyes, determined. If he failed, she would just come after all of them, and his friends, who had tried so hard to rescue him, would all be killed. He couldn’t let that happen.

He pressed the lever on his cane, and golden beams of light shot out in every direction. Everything glowed around him, a haze of green energy, the cane glowing a brilliant gold. Light, stronger and more powerful than anything Oscar had ever experienced shot out from his weapon, and the whole world shone gold.

Oscar was full of light, burning and brilliant and  _ bright _ . He was everything, and nothing all at once. He had never felt so powerful, or so complete in all of his life, his very being fusing with the golden sheen that covered everything.

When Oscar opened his eyes, everything looked… different. As far as he could tell, he wasn’t still in Monstra, but Oscar had no idea what was happening, or what he had just done. It was magic, sure, but- beyond that? His guess was as good as anyone’s. 

Oscar found himself on his knees, knocked down by whatever had just transpired. The floor didn’t look like the inside of a giant whale, and it both looked and felt like it was made of wood. As he looked around, Oscar thought he might be… on a  _ stage _ ?

A man was in front of him, standing in front of a microphone, seeming like he had been addressing the crowd. He was tall,  _ really tall _ , with white hair. Oscar had a second of deja vu before recognizing the figure from his own memories. It was Ozpin. It had to be.

“Are you alright, young man? You look in need of medical attention,” Ozpin said to Oscar, kneeling in front of him.

Oscar blinked, confused. “Oz? What kind of a question is that? Where are we, anyway? What happened? Is this a memory of yours?”

Ozpin hummed, a look of concern crossing his face. Oscar was completely lost, at this point. “Um. Are  _ you _ okay? Are we in my mind? Are we in yours? Come on, I need some answers. How does all of this work? What did I just do?”

Ozpin frowned. “I really think that you need someone to attend to those injuries. I can have my colleague Glynda get you some help, alright?”

Oscar was growing exasperated. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “Listen, Oz. Wherever we are, whatever this is, I need to get back. I need to protect my friends. Right now, Hazel is fighting Salem, and if I don’t do something, he’s going to die trying to protect us.  _ And _ , if I don’t get back, she’s going to go after my friends, and rip them apart. They came to rescue  _ me _ . I can’t let them die, not when I’m the only one with the power to match hers. I’ve lasted this long, my injuries can wait. We have bigger problems at the moment.”

“Young man, I don’t fully understand what’s happening, but you are hurt and confused. We can help you, here,” Ozpin said gently.

Oscar recoiled, mentally thrown. Maybe it was his injuries and exhaustion scrambling his brain, but he was pretty sure that Ozpin, the person he was looking to for answers, had just said that he didn’t know what was happening. “Um, Ozpin? Do you not… know who I am? Do you remember what happened? Is- is this how the merge works? You just, like, forget? What am I supposed to  _ do _ ?”

He was pretty sure that he was about to start crying, or he would have if his injuries had allowed him to. Oscar took a shaky breath, his throat and eyes burning with unshed tears, his ribs hurting so badly he thought the pain might kill him. The voice in his head, who was a terrible mentor, but a mentor nonetheless, was standing in front of him, with no knowledge of what he was talking about. For a moment, Oscar felt the strong desire to hunt down the God of Light, and rip him limb from limb, for bestowing this curse upon them, for giving Ozma an impossible task that could never be completed. 

And now, if he couldn’t figure out what he had just done with that blast of magic, he would be leaving his friends alone, and Salem would go after them. If he didn’t get out of this  _ mindspace _ , or whatever it was, his friends would die, probably horribly, at the hands of the incarnation of evil.

If he didn’t get answers soon, Oscar was going to start screaming. He grit his teeth, his stress level rising. “Okay. So, what  _ can _ you tell me?”

“Well,” said Ozpin, “I can tell you that you just appeared in the middle of Beacon’s initiation ceremony, where we place students into teams. I really do think that we need to get you some medical attention, and get your head looked at. Those injuries certainly don’t look comfortable.”

Oscar groaned. “So, what? This  _ is _ a memory of yours? How do I leave? Will we be officially the same person when I get out of here?”

Ozpin waved Glynda over. “Professor Goodwitch here can escort you to the medical wing.”

Screaming was definitely starting to look like the only viable solution to his problems. Lots and lots of screaming.

“Wait,” said Oscar, blinking. “Did you just interact with another person? Then this can’t really be a memory, could it? That wouldn’t make sense. You can’t really just… change events like that, right? I thought it was just the two of us here, but that wouldn’t really cause Glynda to change her actions, if that isn’t what happened the first time around, right?” He squinted, feeling like he was so close to the right conclusion, but it was just out of reach.

Glynda Goodwitch leveled a cool gaze at him. “I’m not certain I appreciate the insinuation that I don’t control my own actions, but we really do need to get you medical attention, child.”

Oscar rubbed his face with his hands, frustrated. “This doesn’t make sense. What on Remnant is happening?”

Suddenly, an annoyed voice piped up from the crowd that was gathered in front of the stage. It was a familiar voice, too.

“This is  _ so _ unprofessional,” they scoffed. “Is this really how Beacon Academy is run?”

Oscar stared, his confusion only getting worse. “Weiss? What? How? What’s going on? You look… different. But it’s really great to see you,” he grinned at her.

Weiss stared at him, openmouthed, a look of disgust on her face. “Wha- how  _ dare _ you speak to me as if we know each other. That’s just  _ weird _ . What are you even  _ doing _ ? We’re in the middle of a ceremony here!”

It was possible that Oscar had hit his head harder than previously thought, but he was starting to think that this  _ wasn’t _ a memory, because this wasn’t usually how memories worked. Sure, the setting seemed familiar, but the whole thing seemed  _ off _ , not like any of the memories that he had ever accessed from Oz. 

Suffice it to say, Oscar  _ still _ had no idea what was going on. Exhausted and irritated, he pushed himself to his feet with the help of his cane, wincing at the pain that shot through every part of his body.

He heard Ozpin gasp, ever so slightly, finally noticing that they had the same cane.

Oscar sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to save my friends. Whatever it takes.” He raised his cane again, ready to once more activate the magic that had brought him to this place, hoping it could get him out of it. 

He glanced back at Ozpin one last time, not sure if he would ever hear the voice in his head again when Ozpin spoke.

“Wait. I think I know what happened. And I don’t believe your friends are in as immediate of danger as you think. Please. Follow Glynda to the infirmary, and I promise I will explain as much as I can shortly.”

Oscar glanced at Ozpin out of the corner of his eye, sighing. If Ozpin had answers, that would be great, but he needed to save his friends.

Ozpin’s expression was pleading, and strangely open. Oscar let his arms fall to his sides, resting the tip of Long Memory on the floor. He knew from personal experience that Ozpin wasn’t always the most forthcoming of people, and could run circles around most people when it came to manipulation, but Oscar had a feeling that he was being truthful this time.

Oscar let himself relax, just slightly. Even if he was trapped in some sort of mindspace, which is the theory that he was still learning towards, time probably worked differently there than in the real world. He hoped.

“Okay,” he said, turning and painstakingly heading towards Glynda Goodwitch.

She looked irritated at his slow progress, pulling out her weapon. “If you’d let me, I could make this easier,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

Oscar shrugged to the best of his ability, immediately regretting how it made his ribs feel. “Sure,” he wheezed.

He let out a slight squeak as he found himself lifted into the air, trailing behind Glynda as she walked. It wasn’t the telepathy that surprised him, not really, just that he really hadn’t expected to be floating.

Oscar followed her, bobbing through the air. Admittedly, this form of travel was considerably easier on his injuries, which was nice. The adrenaline from running from Salem was seriously starting to wear off, and the thought that he might actually be able to save his friends without worrying about it immediately eased his anxieties significantly.

Of course, he couldn’t let himself relax, not fully, because every time he let his mind stray to his friends, he felt the urge to jump up and save them, which didn’t seem like it would happen at the moment. The panic of it all was much less than it was, but he still found that his stomach was twisted in knots, still on the brink of fight or flight mode.

_ They’ll be okay _ , Oscar told himself, a repeating mantra in his head as he floated towards the infirmary. If he kept telling himself that they would be fine, then it would be true, right?

Oscar didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings, too lost in his own thoughts, but was vaguely aware that they passed through an elevator. Sooner than he expected, they entered the medical wing, and Glynda Goodwitch gently set him down on a bed.

“Do you have a name, young man?” she asked.

“Oscar Pine.”

“Alright, Mr. Pine. I will go inform the staff that you are in need of aid.”

She walked away, and Oscar was left to his own thoughts, which he had been having far too much of lately. He was getting really tired of thinking, and was starting to consider just removing his brain from his head. If he did that, then he wouldn’t be able to feel his multitude of injuries anymore.

Seriously. Being idle after recently being tortured was absolutely terrible. His many injuries insisted on not being ignored, and every inch of his body hurt, more than he could ever remember. And if he  _ wasn’t _ thinking about his pain, he was thinking about the danger his friends were in. There was no winning, not until his problems were fixed, or he found an actual source of distraction.

“ _ Well. I may be able to help _ ,” came a voice.

That. That would be quite the distraction.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for the most recent chapter ahh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS FOR V8 CHAPTER 10  
> also this totally would have been way longer but I am lazy and have no attention span XD

The medic arrived shortly after, so Oscar didn’t have much time to register his shock at hearing Oz’s voice. They didn’t seem nearly as alarmed by his injuries as Oscar would have expected, but on the other hand, medical professionals were probably used to bizarre injuries, especially in a world with remnants of magic.

“Hello, Mr. Pine,” the medic said. “I’m going to ask you a few questions before we examine your injuries. First: where are you injured?”

Oscar blinked. “Everywhere.”

They nodded. “Alright. Does anywhere specifically hurt more than the rest?”

“Uh, well, I’m pretty sure my ribs are broken. And this burn on my chest hurts. A lot. But I feel like I was beaten to a pulp, probably because I was.”

The medic didn’t seem overly fazed. “Good to know. We can examine you, and then begin healing. With time, your aura should be able to heal most of your injuries, but we can certainly help speed up the process.”

Oscar bobbed his head in acknowledgement, and the medic walked away, presumably for medical purposes. Oscar hadn’t had that much experience with hospital wards, so he had no idea what was being done, but he quickly found himself distracted by the pull of sleep. He tried to fight it, hit again with the realization that Oz had talked to him, even though he had just used a  _ ton _ of magic, and he had thought that they would be fully merged.

He was confused, and his head was spinning. Actually,  _ everything _ was spinning with the effort of staying awake. The adrenaline rush had fully faded, and Oscar was crashing, hard.

“ _ Go to sleep,” _ Oz said. “ _ I can explain later. _ ”

Oscar found himself opening his mouth to respond, but quickly found that he didn’t have the energy. He slumped against the pillow, and immediately fell asleep.

It definitely couldn’t have been more than ten minutes later that the medic was back, shaking him awake.

“‘M sleepin’,” he muttered, barely conscious, the world stuck in the inbetween stage of wakefulness. 

The medic sighed, or Oscar thought they did. It was hard to tell, considering he was in the process of falling back asleep. “C’mon, buddy. We need to actually examine your injuries so that we can heal them.”

Oscar sat up, blearily, and let himself be led over to the examination area. Presumably, they were checking his injuries, but he was so out of it from exhaustion that he was barely aware of what was going on around him. It seemed like a lifetime, but he eventually wound up back in what was probably a bed, and fell back asleep immediately. 

When he woke up, the world was a lot clearer, and his injuries ached a lot less. Also, he was pretty sure he was dying of thirst. 

He hopped to his feet, only wincing slightly at the pain in his ribcage from the action. He started wandering around, looking for a water fountain, or maybe someone who could get him water.

Unfortunately, the medical wing appeared empty, and there were no water fountains in sight.  _ However _ , Oscar had it on good authority that there were water fountains in most of the hallways.

Oscar figured that a patient probably wasn’t supposed to just leave the medical wing, especially considering it appeared to be the middle of the night, but no one showed up to stop him as he meandered out into the hallway. He frowned, realizing he didn’t have his cane on him, but decided that that would be a later problem.

He found a fountain directly outside of the medical ward, but he was growing restless, not having any answers, and not knowing if his friends were okay, and he couldn’t stay in place any longer. Oscar had access to Oz’s memories of the layout of Beacon, so he wasn’t worried about getting lost.

No one was around to  _ stop _ him from wandering the building, so he couldn’t think of any reason not to. He wandered aimlessly, determined to find a quiet place to get answers out of the voice in his head. Eventually, Oscar wound up in the library, which was empty, just like the halls. The lights turned on automatically when he entered, which made him jump, but, still, no one else entered to stop him. 

Oscar sighed and slumped against a bookcase. He couldn’t stop thinking about Jaune, Ren, Yang, and even Emerald and Hazel. He still didn’t know if they were safe, if he had just fallen into some other plane of existence while Salem brutally hunted his friends and allies.

“Okay,” Oscar said. “Now are you going to talk? Where are we? What’s happening? Why didn’t we merge after that giant burst of magic?”

“ _ Alright, I can tell you what I suspect _ ,” Oz replied. “ _ This appears to be the beginning of the school year before the Fall of Beacon, during which your friends first became students here. I don’t believe that this is a memory. It seems, although I can’t be positive, that we ended up back in time. And the reason that we didn’t merge is because, well, that wasn’t exactly magic. The giant burst of energy that came from kinetic energy that was released from the cane. In theory, it should have completely vaporized monstra, and Salem should be destroyed, at least for a short while. _

_ “Now, the time travel- I believe that you may have unlocked your semblance. Does that answer all of your questions _ ?”

Oscar blinked, taken aback. “Um. Time travel? That’s- are you being serious? I traveled back in time?”

“ _ As far as I can tell, that does seem to be what happened. _ ”

“So, my friends- they’re not in danger? Salem isn’t able to go after them right now?” Oscar asked.

_ “With the amount of energy that was released, it is highly unlikely that Salem is able to do them any harm at the moment. However, given that we are no longer in that timeline, they aren’t currently in danger anyway. In this version of reality, your friends are about to start their first year at Beacon,”  _ Oz stated.

“Oh,” Oscar said, heart dropping in his chest. “I-I’m in a different reality from all of my friends? Will I ever see them again?”

Oscar felt a pulse of sympathy from Oz. “ _ Well, you can certainly see this version of your friends, and you’ll be able to see the older versions of them in the future. But they may not be exactly the same, and I suppose the difference between who they are now and who they become will rely on how much we change the timeline. They are still the same people, though, just younger now than they were when you met them.” _

Oscar put his head in his hands, groaning. “This is so complicated,” he muttered. “And I was finally starting to feel like I belonged, like I had a family. Now I’m alone. Again.” 

Tears burned, hot and steady on his face. Now, he was separated from the people he cared about most in the world by an entire  _ reality _ . Nothing would ever be the same, and the people he loved wouldn’t be, either. In fact, they wouldn’t even remember him. Oscar had never felt so small, so completely isolated, ever in his entire life. 

_ “I’m sorry, Oscar. I truly am. There may be a bright spot in all of this, though. _ ”

Oscar sniffed. “Yeah? I tried so hard to save Atlas, to stop Salem, to help my friends, and all for nothing. I was  _ shot _ , I was  _ kidnapped _ , I was  _ tortured _ , and it was all for… Oh.  _ Oh _ . It was- none of that has even  _ happened _ yet. Wait. Didn’t you say that this is before the Fall of Beacon?”

Oscar could feel Ozpin’s pride, his levity. “ _ I did indeed. I do hope, in all of this, that you recall your successes with Hazel and with Emerald. In a single day, you caused two of Salem’s followers to defect. Imagine what you could do this time around, with the amount that we know about her plans, about the future. It may seem like everything’s falling apart, but you just might be able to save the world. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everybody liked this chapter! Excited for more!


	3. Chapter 3

Oscar shot awake as the lights flickered on in the library. He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep at some point, and he definitely hadn’t realized that the lights had turned off.

Apparently, traveling through time compounded with the myriad of horrible things he had faced in what was, technically, only a few days made him a lot more exhausted than he thought, enough so that he fell asleep shortly after waking up from a nap in the medical ward.

Speaking of- usually a person in a medical ward doesn’t just go wandering around. Some people might be looking for him. 

Oscar cursed, his heart rate picking up in his chest. People were always looking for him. They wanted the relic, they wanted Ozpin, they wanted answers. Neo, Ironwood, Salem’s hound- they were all after him.

_ No _ .  _ Wait. Things were different _ . None of those people were currently chasing him. They had all been after him in the past few days, sort of, in another timeline, in a world where everything was falling to pieces. No one was going to hurt him, not here, not now, not yet, anyway.

As if anticipating Oscar’s train of thought, a voice came over the… intercom? Oscar thought it was an intercom, anyway. “Could Oscar Pine please report to the infirmary,” the voice said. Oscar let out a breath of relief. He would recognize Ozpin’s voice anywhere. Maybe things would work out.

Oscar started back towards the infirmary, hoping that Ozpin would be reasonable. When he got to the entrance of the infirmary, he almost laughed at the sight. It was touching. Ozpin, Glynda, and Qrow were all gathered by the doorway, huddled together with looks of concern on their faces.

They hadn’t noticed him yet. Perfect. 

“Miss me?” Oscar asked, a smirk on his face.

Three shocked faces looked up at him, each adult quickly schooling their features. Well, except for Glynda, who looked kind of pissed.

“ _ Where _ have you been, young man?” she asked. “Not one of our search parties could locate you, but all we had to do was  _ ask _ and then you just show up? What is this?”

Oscar stepped backwards, laughing nervously, hands raised in front of him. He didn’t  _ think _ Glynda would hurt him, but he had thought the same of Ironwood, at first.

“I-uh. I got thirsty, and then I started wandering, and I found the library, and then I had a mental breakdown, and then I kind of… fell asleep? Oops. Sorry.”

Ozpin, the physical copy, cut in. “That’s quite alright. We’re just glad that you’re safe. Could you come to my office with us?”

Oscar nodded. He needed to talk to Ozpin anyway, so this would be a good thing. But Oscar  _ knew _ Ozpin, now, and he could tell that his voice held a current of barely-restrained anxiety. Something was wrong.

He followed the group, anxiety mounting. The last time that Oscar had met with a headmaster of a school hadn’t gone very well.

Not that he expected this to end similarly… but the fear was still there, twisting his stomach in knots and leaving his hands shaky. 

Logically, he should probably be more terrified of Salem than of Ozpin’s associates, especially given that he had been tortured by her- but the lack of Grimm and the fact that he still hadn’t truly  _ processed _ most of what had happened muted his fear of her. Interacting with people who had worked closely with the person who shot him off a cliff and almost killed him? That was a much more immediate terror.

_ “Don’t worry, Oscar. You’ll be fine. I promise. If necessary, I can always reason with myself, I’m certain.” _ Oz said.

It made sense, and everything would probably be fine, but that knowledge did little to lessen his anxiety.

Oscar followed the three adults on a path that felt all too familiar, memories from a lifetime that wasn’t his available right at his fingertips. It was an unsettling feeling, how the pieces of Ozpin’s life fit so easily in his mind. They weren’t the same person, they weren’t merged- but they weren’t separate, either. Oscar hoped it was just the result of sharing the same headspace, of Oz being more open with his memories and experiences, trying to make sure that Oscar wasn’t left alone, ever again.

The tension in the air was palpable by the time they reached the headmaster’s office at the top of Beacon tower. Ozpin sat in his seat behind the giant desk, and Glynda and Qrow lingered by the entrance to the elevator.

Ozpin directed Oscar to a chair placed in front of the desk. “Please, sit,” he said, voice much colder than normal.

Oscar’s heart rate picked up. He wished he had his cane to hold onto, for comfort if for nothing else. “What-what’s wrong?” he asked, voice much shakier than it should have been among allies and friends.

Qrow Branwen walked into view, on Oscar’s right. “I’m sure you can figure it out,” he growled. “ _ How _ did you come into possession of  _ this _ ?” he asked, pulling out the Long Memory.

“Hey, that’s where that went! Can I please have my cane back?” Oscar tried for a smile, hoping to break the strained air in the room. It didn’t work.

Qrow glared. “Yes. An  _ exact _ copy of Ozpin’s weapon.  _ Where. Did. You. Get. It. _ ”

Oscar gulped. “Would y-you believe me if I said you gave it to me?” he squeaked. Oscar couldn’t  _ remember _ the last time he had been this nervous when he wasn’t actively running for his life. Qrow could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to be.

Glynda cleared her throat. “Sure. And I suppose you’re not working for Salem, either?”

Oscar felt his eyes widen. “What?! Of course not! I am the  _ last _ person who would ever work with her! She tortured me!”

Professor Ozpin held up his hands, and rose from his desk, walking over to Oscar. “You said your name is Oscar Pine, did you?”

“ _ Yes _ . And if anybody was interested in letting me  _ explain _ , my semblance sent me back in time. I’m the next  _ you,  _ unfortunately.” Oscar huffed, crossing his arms and slumping in his chair. “In fact, since I’m here, and might be stuck here, there’s a lot of things that I need to warn you about.”

Oscar could practically  _ hear _ Glynda and Qrow scowling at him. “And what reason do we have to believe you?” Glynda snapped.

Oscar sighed, annoyance overshadowing his fear. “Do you want to talk to Ozpin? Because you can. Here.”

“ _ Okay, buddy. You’re up,” _ Oscar told Oz, feeling himself take a backseat in his own mind.

“This is certainly an interesting situation,” Oz said. “But Oscar’s correct. There are dark times on the horizon, and this is an excellent opportunity to prevent them, to learn from past mistakes.”

Professor Ozpin, the one that wasn’t also Oscar, smiled gently. “I thought I recognized my own magic. But either way, care to tell me something only I would know, just in case this is a trick?”

Oz motioned for Ozpin to lean in, and whispered, “The Long Memory has lifetimes of energy stored in it. It makes an excellent bomb.”

Ozpin stood back to his full height, smile growing wider. “Well, future version of me, it’s nice to meet you. I do hope we can avoid these dark times you spoke of.”

Oscar fell back into himself. “If we can’t, I’m going to be really pissed. If I have to go through everything all over again, and it all stays the same, I’ll just scream. Can I have my weapon back now?”

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow at him. “Do you think it would be a wise idea for you to be walking around with the  _ exact same _ weapon as me? I’m certain people might become suspicious. You could use a different weapon in the interim, and, when I pass, I suppose you’ll have your own weapon  _ and _ two canes to do with as you see fit.”

Oscar groaned. “I  _ just _ got used to using it! My life is just a sequence of problems.”

“I’m sure it is, kiddo,” said Qrow, who was looking much less hostile now that Ozpin no longer viewed Oscar as a threat.

Oscar frowned. “So. What do we do now?”

“Well,” said Ozpin, “we could get you a weapon, if not today than in the near future. I suppose you don’t have a place to stay, so I could place you in my spare room. And, we’ll need you to tell us  _ everything _ that happened in your past, so that we can avoid whatever Salem has planned.”

Glynda cut in, voice sharp as a knife. “Ozpin. Are you  _ certain _ that he can be trusted?”

Ozpin nodded in response.

Oscar watched Glynda Goodwitch’s frame droop slightly, some of the tension leaving her body. She straightened up immediately, never one to have bad posture. “Alright then. If you’d like, Mr. Pine, I’m sure Ozpin could take you to get a weapon. Or, we could get you settled in. It’s your choice. Personally, I have a class to be teaching.”

“I-I guess I’d like to get a weapon. The last time I was without one… well, it wasn’t a fun experience. I don’t know if she’s done it yet, but at some point, Salem creates a giant whale Grimm, and it’s horrifying. Full of torture chambers. Zero out of ten would not recommend,” Oscar grimaced, looking down at his feet. He knew everyone was probably concerned, but, what- was he  _ not _ supposed to make light of his traumatic experiences?

On another note, Oscar was really hoping that Beacon had like… therapists.

“Alright,” said Ozpin. “I can take you to the weapons forge. We could go now, if you’d like. I’m certain you don’t have much else to be doing at the moment.”

“Not to be contrary, but could I eat something? I’m ninety-nine percent sure that there’s a cafeteria here, and I’m starving.”

Ozpin nodded. “Certainly.”

“Wait,” said Qrow. “Don’t you have headmaster duties? It’s the first day of classes. You can’t tell me that there’s nothing else you need to be doing.”

Ozpin smiled. “True enough, but the future of the world is probably more important than a day of being headmaster of a school. If it concerns you that much, though, you could always join us, lest I be called away at a moment’s notice.”

Qrow shrugged, nonchalant. “Sure, I can wander around with a kid. It’s not like I have anything else pressing. Shall we?”

Oscar grinned. He was excited to get his hands on another weapon, and, more importantly, to eat as much as physically possible. Now that he wasn’t in the middle of the apocalypse and being tortured by immortal beings of darkness, he could actually worry about his own health and well-being.

Never let it be said that time travel wasn’t good for  _ something _ , at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, this was gonna be longer but my attention span is actually NOTHING  
> alsoooo guys I can't wait to share the things I have planned, because some things are going to be totally different from what I originally pictured, and I am so excited!!!!  
> Please let me know if you like it!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are very much appreciated, but no criticism, please!!!  
> let me know if there's anything in particular that you want to see in this fic  
> also, feel free to follow me on tumblr at kaylathebookwormwrites  
> \\(*-*)/  
> Oh yeah! And many thanks to my beta reader lifelongpotterhead! Highly recommend their works!


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